Porsche 911 Reaches New Heights At Goodwood

GOODWOOD – July 12, 2013: For five decades, the Porsche 911 has
been at the heart of the Porsche brand, and this weekend the iconic sports
coupe takes centre stage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where its
reputation as the quintessential sports car will literally reach new
heights.

Soaring 34 metres into the sky, the ‘Central Feature’
sculpture celebrating 50 years of the Porsche 911 is the tallest in the
history of the Festival of Speed. From its base in front of Goodwood House,
three futuristic white, steel ‘arrows’ race upwards, each with
an example of the 911 at its apex. The origins of the 911 are honoured with
an early Golf Blue coupe from 1965, the motorsport record of the model is
highlighted by a Yellow 2.7 RS from 1973, and the latest all-wheel drive
‘Type 991’ Carrera 4 underlines the everyday usability of the
sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

Formally unveiled on Thursday night (11 July) by Lord March and Wolfgang
Hatz, board member for Research and Development at Porsche AG, the bespoke,
highly distinctive ‘art installation’ has been designed by
acclaimed artist and sculptor Gerry Judah.

The ‘Central Feature’ has become synonymous with the
Festival of Speed, and this year’s focal point is a tremendous
example of what these complex yet elegant sculptures are all about. It
draws from the combined spirits of Goodwood and Porsche to create a dynamic
and innovative design which is also lightweight, superbly engineered, and
utterly reflective of the Porsche 911 itself: simple, pure and built for
the job. The 911 can equally be regarded as a ‘living work of
art’, which has been honed and developed over the past 50 years, in a
continual process of evolution.

The 34-metre high steel monocoque sculpture weighs 25 tonnes and brings
together brilliantly the feelings of excitement, wonder, beauty and
function which so exemplify the 911.

Fittingly, Gerry Judah came up with the idea for the Porsche sculpture
while on the road; “Great ideas can take a moment, good ideas can
take a long time. I got the idea for the Porsche sculpture while I was
driving; it came to me in a flash!”

“I had to create a sculpture which personifies the energy and
dynamic excitement not just of the cars and Festival of Speed, but also
reflected how something as beautiful and dynamic as the 911 can in turn
celebrate the event.”

“The 911 is a fantastic shape, so I had to think, ‘what can
I do with it?’ You can’t deconstruct it, so in the context of
the Festival, however beautiful the 911 is, you need to embody a sense of
speed. So the sculpture has to give the car the energy it
deserves.”

And, he adds with a smile; “You can’t just put a car on a
plinth; it has to be exciting!”

The high, slender design supports three great cars from different
periods in the history of the 911; “the concept was that each car is
shooting into the sky, supporting one another, racing each other, captured
in a perfect moment.”

Each leg is a monocoque of sheet steel welded together, with no internal
structure, and comes down to a small point at the base narrow enough you
can almost fit your hands around. Finished in a clean, white coating, the
sculpture has an elegant simplicity. “Essentially, the design of the
sculpture relates to me what the 911 is all about. The 911 has its own
design and shape; I did not want to embellish it,” says Gerry.

Like all great works of art, the manner in which the public engage with
the sculpture and enjoy it is important to Gerry. “It is always a
thrill to see the sculpture when you come around the corner of the House;
people feel it belongs to them once it is built. It has this impressive
backdrop against the flint walls of the House, a terrific setting in an old
country estate, and as soon as you see it you should get the feeling
‘this is the Festival of Speed, this is Porsche.’”

Few other cars in the world can look back on such a long tradition and
continuity as the Porsche 911. It has been inspiring car enthusiasts around
the world since its debut as the model 901 at the IAA International
Automotive Show, Frankfurt, in September 1963. Today it is considered by
its many devoted fans as the benchmark for all others. The 911 is also the
central point of reference for all other Porsche series. Every Porsche is
the most sporting car in its category, and each one carries a piece of the
911 philosophy.

Porsche at the Goodwood Festival of SpeedOver 820,000 Porsche
911s have been built since 1963, and examples of each of its seven
generations will be present at the 2013 Festival of Speed. From the very
beginning the car has been at home on race circuits and rally stages all
over the world, earning a reputation as a quick and dependable winner. In
fact, two thirds of the 30,000 race victories achieved by Porsche to date
have been recorded by the 911.

Demonstration runs by historical Porsche road and race cars spanning the
seven generations of the 911 will be a highlight of the Festival of Speed,
and many of these cars will instantly evoke fond memories among spectators.
At the wheel will be a variety of famous drivers with strong affinity to
Porsche including two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours and German
Touring Car Champion, Hans-Joachim Stuck, current Porsche Supercup factory
Junior driver Michael Christensen, alongside former works aces Richard
Attwood and Vic Elford.

With support from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, private collectors
and enthusiasts, a number of significant editions of the 911 will be in
action at the Festival. Further examples of significant Porsche competition
cars including the 917 and 962 will also feature.

20 years of the Goodwood Festival of SpeedMarking the first
half-century of the Porsche 911 at Goodwood is hugely appropriate in the
20th anniversary year of the Festival of Speed. To date, the legendary
sports coupe has featured at every single Goodwood Festival, from the first
event in 1993 – when an unexpectedly high 27,500 enthusiasts
turned-up– to the 185,000+ visitors that attended the world’s
greatest celebration of car culture last year.

Whether in action in road and race form on the testing 1.16-mile
Goodwood hillclimb, sliding sideways around the gravel Forest Rally Stage,
sitting serenely on the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours lawn, or as part of
the regular Porsche displays, the 911 has played a key role in helping put
the Festival of Speed on the map over the last two decades.